Bromelain, the Natural Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Rhinosinusitis (RS) With No Side Effects

By Kyle J. Norton

Rhinosinusitis (RS) is a condition associated with the inflammation of the sinuses and nasal cavity.

Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammation of  the sinuses and nasal cavity that last more than 12 weeks.

According to statistics, the prevalence of CRS in Korea, Europe, and the US is approximately 7%, 10%, and 12%, respectively.

The exact causes of CRS are not identified. However, some researches suggested that infection that does not heal itself due to the inability of the immune system to destroy all the infectious pathogens in the acute phase of infection may play a critical role to the onset of the condition.

Symptoms of CRS are totally depending on the state of severity. Some patients may experience symptoms of facial pressure or pain, post-nasal drainage, nasal blockage, anosmia or hyposmia, or fatigue.

Conventionally, medications used for the treatment of CRS are focusing on reducing symptoms and improved quality of life, inclduing prescribed antibiotics in case of bacterial infection.

If all medicines fail, surgery may be necessary. 

Out of many risk factors associated with the onset of CRS, some researchers suggested that cigarette smoking may have a strong and negative impact on the syndrome.

Dr. Douglas D. Reh, the lead scientist wrote, " Environmental factors such as inhaled pollutants like cigarette smoke may play a significant role in diseases of the upper airway including chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)".

And, "There is clear evidence in the literature that cigarette smoke, either through active smoking or passive exposure to SHS, contributes to CRS".

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to discover a potential ingredient for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, researchers investigated the penetration of bromelain into sinonasal mucosa in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), compared to the control group.

40 participants with CRS were divided into 2 groups equally either treated by bromelain derived from pineapple (Ananas comosus) or control.

Bromelain 500 mg tablet twice daily administered for 30 days in the treatment group displayed a significant effect in reduced inflammation in patients with CRS compared to control.

In other words, bromelain has an excellent distribution from blood to rhinosinusal mucosa in exhibition anti-inflammatory activity.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Its (bromelain) diffusion ability may allow the use of bromelain as an anti-inflammatory agent in paranasal sinus pathologies".

In a pilot study, researchers evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and impact on the quality of life (QoL) of bromelain tablets (500 FIP) in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

According to the results from 12 patients suffering from CRS with (CRS+NP) or without (CRS-NP) nasal polyps who had undergone prior sinus surgery,  treatment with bromelain tablets (500 FIP) for 3 months, exerted a strong effect in symptom scores (Total Symptom Scores: TSS); a Total Rhinoscopy Score (TRS) and the Sinonasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT-20 GAV) with no side effects.

Dr. Büttner L, the lead scientist wrote in the final report, "Preliminary results indicate good tolerability, symptom control, and improvement in QoL for the treatment of CRS using bromelain tablets (500 FIP)".

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

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Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Bromelain's penetration into the blood and sinonasal mucosa in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis by Passali D1, Passali GC2, Bellussi LM1, Sarafoleanu C3, Loglisci M1, Manea C3, Iosif C4, Passali FM. (PubMed)
(2) Efficacy and tolerability of bromelain in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis--a pilot study by Büttner L1, Achilles N, Böhm M, Shah-Hosseini K, Mösges R. (PubMed)
(3) Impact of Tobacco Smoke on Chronic Rhinosinusitis – A Review of the Literature by Douglas D. Reh, MD,1 Thomas S. Higgins, MD,1 and Timothy L. Smith, MD, MPH. (PMC)